A Palestinian rocket struck the outskirts of Jerusalem on Tuesday, landing harmlessly in an open area in one of the longest rocket strikes fired from the Gaza Strip in nearly a week of fighting.

The rocket attack, the second aimed at the holy city since an Israeli offensive began a week ago, set off air raid sirens throughout the metropolis. A distant explosion could be heard in the city's downtown. Jerusalem residents ran for cover as buses and trains stopped to let passengers off.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket landed in Gush Etzion, a collection of Jewish West Bank settlements southeast of the city. Last Friday's attempt to hit Jerusalem landed in the same area. No one was wounded in either attack.

Jerusalem, nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gaza, is the most distant city the militants have targeted, signaling an increasing sophistication in their arsenal.

Re: Rocket fired to Jeruaslem minutes after Ban-Ki Moon arrives in the city

Palestinian rocket targets Jerusalem for 2nd time

A Palestinian rocket struck the outskirts of Jerusalem on Tuesday, landing harmlessly in an open area in one of the longest rocket strikes fired from the Gaza Strip in nearly a week of fighting.

The rocket attack, the second aimed at the holy city since an Israeli offensive began a week ago, set off air raid sirens throughout the metropolis. A distant explosion could be heard in the city's downtown. Jerusalem residents ran for cover as buses and trains stopped to let passengers off.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket landed in Gush Etzion, a collection of Jewish West Bank settlements southeast of the city. Last Friday's attempt to hit Jerusalem landed in the same area. No one was wounded in either attack.

Jerusalem, nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gaza, is the most distant city the militants have targeted, signaling an increasing sophistication in their arsenal.

Since nobody in Gaza could know about the arrival it would have to be the IDF doing the rockets or the visit and the rocket landing in the middle of nowhere have nothing in common.

Quoting: MHz

There have been rockets all day long, hardly 10 minutes between each one. Ban Ki Moon landed in Tel Aviv, not in Jerusalem. I'm not suggesting they are aiming, I'm suggesting that diplomats coming to attempt to quiet things down now find themselves on the front lines, unlike any other conflict Israel has had in the last 30 years.

Re: Rocket fired to Jeruaslem minutes after Ban-Ki Moon arrives in the city

Sirens were heard in the capital city just before 2:15 p.m. and an explosion was heard moments later. According to reports, two rockets landed in an open area near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, which lies approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Jerusalem. Other reports refer to a single rocket.